This invention relates to a fire retardant barrier for body support devices such as mattresses, cushions, couches, car seats, chairs, etc., that are commonly used for body support and comfort.
The National Fire Protection Association reported that in the year 1988, there were 33,900 residential fires resulting from careless smoking. Of those 33,900 fires, there were 850 fatalities, 2,211 injuries and $231,000,000 worth of property damage. In addition to residential fires, it is known that, on occasion, persons also have been injured or killed by being trapped in hotel, nursing home and even hospital rooms from fires which stem from fires originating with mattresses and other body support devices. The danger is particularly acute in high-rise hotels, nursing homes and hospitals when a mattress or other body support devices catch on fire.
In general, body support devices have been manufactured by covering an assembly of coiled springs with a combination of polyurethane foam and/or matting which is enclosed in a cover made of ticking or other material. This combination provides lightness, durability and comfort at a reasonable cost.
These body support devices have been found to be extremely dangerous in fires because of the thermal degradation of the polyurethane foam and matting which form combustible liquids and/or gases which can be released suddenly into the surrounding atmosphere and be explosive. That is, due to heat created by the fire, the coils expand and may suddenly rip through the surface of the body support device releasing gaseous and liquefied polyurethane and/or matting and degradation products which can burn with near explosive force when contacted by heat or flame. The end result is that even in a moderate fire, a person in a room containing a burning body support device may be overcome by a sudden increase in heat and smoke created by a sudden rupture of the body support device.
Others have attempted to design body support devices which are fire retardant. Mattresses such as those described by Simon, U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,192, are composed of layers of fiberglass matting which produces irritating glass fibers. Ikeda, U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,283 discloses a mattress that is totally encapsulated within two layers of polychloroprene and a wedge of polychloroprene located at the edge of the mattress which fills in the space between the top and bottom layers of polychloroprene. When this mattress is exposed to heat or fire, the heat causes the inner springs to expand and the sides of the mattress to separate due to the forces of the expanding springs.
The present invention surfaced after an eight year long search for a light, comfortable and affordable way to protect body support devices from flame, fire and cigarettes. Testing was done on carpet backing (too heavy and uncomfortable), light weight rubber from bicycle innertubes (would not pass heat tests), material used in automobile racing suits (too expensive), CSPE (chlorosulphonated polyethylene) almost three times the cost of EPDM (light, comfortable and affordable).